Arne Slott, who led Feyenoord until this season, is Liverpool’s successor to Jurgen Klopp. The club had shown interest in various young managers, including Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi, before settling on the Dutchman to lead the club.
When the former Spanish midfielder announced he was staying at Bayer Leverkusen, all attention turned to Sporting’s Ruben Amorim. Some media reported that an agreement was close to being reached, but in a sudden turn of events, an agreement with Sporting manager Slot was discussed.
Christian Falk, a German journalist, said that the Portuguese coach was preparing to sign a deal with the Merseyside club, but at the last minute Sporting’s chairman raised his demands, causing the break-up.
“I found out why the transfer of Ruben Amorim (Sporting Lisbon) to Liverpool FC fell through in the end. Everything had already been negotiated and the contracts were ready to be signed,”
“Sporting Lisbon would have received a transfer fee of €10m, as had been agreed. However, the president of Sporting Lisbon, Francisco Varandas, is said to have changed his mind at the last minute. Suddenly, the president demanded €20m and spontaneously doubled the price.”
“Liverpool did not want to play the game. That was bitter for Amorim, who would have loved to become Jürgen Klopp’s successor.”
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